i860.] DR. GRAY'S APPROVAL. 63 



Agassiz, when I saw him last, had read but a part of it. 

 He says it is poor — very poor ! ! (entre nous). The fact [is] 

 he is very much annoyed by it, ... . and I do not wonder 

 at it. To bring all ideal system within the domain of science, 

 and give good physical or natural explanations of all his 

 capital points, is as bad as to have Forbes take the glacier 

 materials . . . and give scientific explanation of all the phe- 

 nomena. 



Tell Darwin all this. I will write to him when I get a 

 chance. As I have promised, he and you shall have fair-play 

 here. ... I must myself write a review of Darwin's book for 

 1 Silliman's Journal ' (the more so that I suspect Agassiz means 

 to come out upon it) for the next (March) No., and I am now 

 setting about it (when I ought to be every moment working 

 the Exploring] Expedition Compositse, which I know far 

 more about). And really it is no easy job, as you may well 

 imagine. 



I doubt if I shall please you altogether. I know I shall 

 not please Agassiz at all. I hear another reprint is in the 

 Press, and the book will excite much attention here, and 

 some controversy. . . . 



C. Darwin to Asa Gray. 



Down, January 28th [18G0]. 



My dear Gray, — Hooker has forwarded to me your letter 

 to him ; and I cannot express how deeply it has gratified 

 me. To receive the approval of a man whom one has long 

 sincerely respected, and whose judgment and knowledge are 

 most universally admitted, is the highest reward an author 

 can possibly wish for; and I thank you heartily for your 

 most kind expressions. 



I have been absent from home for a few days, and so could 

 not earlier answer your letter to me of the 10th of January. 

 You have been extremely kind to take so much trouble and 

 interest about the edition. It has been a mistake of my 

 publisher not thinking of sending over the sheets. I had 



